Discovering the "new South"

Reading up about the "new South" I found out that the term itself originated after the Civil War to describe the rise of the South. It was a contrast to the Old South of the plantation period. The new South emerged with an idea of not depending on banned slave labor or the predominant growing of cotton but rather be industrialized and be a part of the rapidly growing American economy. It was a representation of not only the economic boom in the southern US but was also a reminder of the new and emerging ideas of equality.

This New South creed became more of a slogan for various Southern towns and cities, but it wasn't exactly the public relations miracle many elite Southerners hoped it would be. While many Southern states did start to distance themselves from the prejudices and inequalities of the Old South, there were still a number of issues which continued to tarnish the perception of a truly New South. Segregation between blacks and whites was still an active practice, for example. During the tumultuous years of the Civil Rights movement, the claims of a successful New South conversion rang especially hollow. Only after the passage of the Civil Rights Act did many examples of sanctioned segregation fall by the wayside in some Southern states.

There were many people who helped give this idea shape. One of them was Terry Sanford. He was the president of Duke and he gave major new programs in education and economic investment. He also had a major part in influencing progressive southern politics. There is also a documentary called "Terry Sanford and the New South" dedicated to this great man.

The New South has since then taken the South from being farmers and slaves to one of the most happening hubs for industrialization.

A Response to the "New South": Alexis Noel

The image of the "old south" is regularly painted in popular movies, depicting slaves working on plantations and white men and women sipping minty beverages slowly growing fat. Yet, how often do we hear about the "new south"? I'm sure if we were to ask a foreigner the first image that pops in their mind when we say "Southern America", they will probably say "Scarlett O'Hara". What kind of reputation is our southern home getting?

The "new south" began its rise after the Civil War, pushing men of all ages and race to delve into manual labor: planting crops, fixing cotton machines etc. However, the south has changed drastically. Although it has its quirks you can not find anywhere else (like sweet tea), many of the populated areas have meshed into northern similarities.

While the media may still be portraying the south as "old-fashioned" and "outdated", the one topic that has grown and thrived among southerners is politics. The south has always been generally Republican, and passionately so. Did these political views sprout from the ideas of the "new south", of being independent from those of higher power?

Jon Meacham comments on southern politics during the 2008 election: "The American South, to borrow a phrase from the caricature cupboard, just ain't that different anymore. It was once, but the Civil War is the exception that proves the rule that the South tends not to contradict but to exemplify, if sometimes in an exaggerated way, what much of the nation thinks and feels. Understanding America's politics, then, requires understanding the South's—which is one reason why declaring the 2008 presidential election over is to make the same mistake the hotheads at the barbecue in "Gone With the Wind" did when they thought they could whip the Union forces in short order.." [1]

As viewed below, it is obvious that the south has conservative views [2]:


Is it possible that the ideas of manual labor gave rise to conservative ideas? To ride off of political stereotypes, the south wanted more power to the working man rather than socialist agendas? The "new south" ideologies certainly point in that direction.

Response to New South

The ideology of New South transformed the southern states more than we realize. The Old South was seen by some as plantations and slavery, while many viewed it as a very prosperous time of social order where Southern chivalry was at its best. These different aspects of the Old South helped make the New South what it is today. We went from a war-beaten South that knew only of agriculture to an industrial power.

The transformation of racial discrimination from Old to New South was one for the history books. What came along with the New South for those who had been enslaved and oppressed were new opportunities to grow individually and collectively. The development of technical schools throughout the South greatly contributed to this movement. People of all races, especially blacks and poor whites who had been put down for so long, could now get a practical education. This hands-on kind of education brought industries and companies to the New South for cheap and hardworking labor. Now southerners wouldn't have to rely only on their farms as sources of income.

The ideas of a New South proved to others that the Old South was trying to make a ''new'' name for itself. Calling itself the New South showed the willingness and need to reinvent what it represented. I believe that the ideology of the New South truly reclaimed the fate of what the South was becoming after the War. Although, who doesn't wish we still had a little Southern chivalry left around here?

New South

Henry Grady, editor of the Atlanta Constitution in the 1880s, was a leading cause in the creation and accept of a new post-war ideology of the "New South"; focusing on education for the masses, a practical education that taught everyone, white or black, poor or rich, how to work with your hands and not shun manual labor. This was a step forward from the "Old South", an economy based on slavery and agriculture, where the idea of manual labor was frowned upon and seen as lower work. At the time, the idea, healthy and strong, was accepted and grew, but soon afterwards it became a facade for white elitists to hide behind as they further pursued now not only black oppression, but poor white oppression was well, though not as severely. Eventually, it even led to the Jim Crow laws, which held until the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. [1]

The "New South" was not all bad, however, as it led to the creation of many technical colleges throughout the southeast as a form of practical education for the masses. Most notable was the creation of a technical college in Atlanta, the industrial center of the South at the time. This college being Georgia Institute of Technology. [2][3]

I personally believe that this New South ideology has been a major proponent in the formation of the South as we know it today, being an underlying cause of not only known historical moments, such as the Jim Crow laws and the Civil Rights movement, but also a basis for the formation of certain stereotypes, such as Southerns being more mechanical inclined and advocates of manual labor. Ideas, thoughts or disagreements?

For link [2], send me an email and I can bring the rest of the article to class on Tuesday if you'd like to read the rest.

Southern Representation

I chose this image as a representation of the South and southern culture. While I was unable to find the original artist, the source of the picture was Redneck Jokes at Knoxville FM. The picture was title Redneck Thanksgiving

This image covers many stereotypes that are related to rednecks more specifically than the South, but as rednecks and the South are often synonymous, I think it properly suits it. The most peculiar stereotype that this image touches upon is that southerns view fast food is something that can be eaten at any occasion. This goes along with the implications that southerns are just poor white trash, hardly able to afford a proper meal, let alone cook it. Thus, for Thanksgiving, an traditionally American holiday, second only to Independence Day in patriotic undertones, they are having KFC, McDonalds, Ruffles, and Budweiser. On top of that, the stereotype that southerns are drunks is covered here with every single member of the family, including the three boys, is drinking beer. Albeit a jovial yet respectful occasion, three of the members of the family, including the grandfather donning the white wife beater, are wearing hats, all of which are pertaining to automobiles in some respect. The grandfather with the Texaco hat, the eldest looking boy with the Hemi hat and the boy across from him wearing what seems to be a NASCAR hat. This gives the implication that southerns are fond of automobiles, going along with the stereotype that southerns are all adept auto mechanics, at least to some degree.

The stereotypes that are depicted in this picture are accurate and inaccurate at the same time. A majority of stereotypes come to be because they were or are in some respects true to a certain extent. This picture shows that this southern family is either too poor to cook a proper meal for Thanksgiving or more likely that they view this as a proper meal. While you could wander from trailer park to trailer park and probably find this occurring from time to time, the South as often been known for is great tasting, albeit unhealthy, cooking. So while this stereotype is wrong to some extent, it certainly isn't for the whole of the southern culture. Another stereotype shown is the automobile-pertaining apparel. This is false in respects to the entire south as well. Not everyone in the south, even those of the lower class, which are more often related to this car fanaticism, are interest or knowledgeable about automobiles. The drunk stereotype is also not applicable to the entirety of the south, though from my own personal experiences with southern families, this stereotype seems to hold more truth to it than the others do.

Southern Representation Super Club

By: Scott Horvath

I picked the image seen above. It is titled "Super Club" and depicts three men eating at a table.

This picture is full of southern stereotypes. Possibly the most obvious stereotype is the three men that are sitting at the table. All three are drawn to look unintelligent and uncivilized. The man on the left is holding what appears to be either a shotgun or a sniper rifle of some sort. Either way, holding a gun at the dinner table takes a stereotype of the south to the extreme. The man on the far right is wearing a plaid shirt along with a construction uniform. He is depicted as an oblivious member of society who works in a lower end job that requires little to no education. (i.e. construction of some kind) The man in the middle is dressed up as a priest and is a representation of southern religion. His black gown and necklace give off the aura that he is from the church which is another southern stereotype.

Along with the men, the table and back wall are covered in objects that are representations of the south. To name a few, the table is covered in a pocket knife, fried food, pie, a bottle of whiskey and even a bottle of coke. All of these are generally stereotypes of the south. The back wall contains two key images, the American flag and antlers. In my opinion, a confederate flag would have fit even better in this picture the but the American flag is a representation of the stereotype that all southerners are extremely patriotic. This pride is one of the more common southern stereotypes. The antlers on the back wall are the final image of the south that I picked up on in this image. Again, they embody the stereotype that all southern men are hunting rednecks who hang antlers all along their walls.

Southern Representation Artifact

This painting is by Butler Brown. Brown is from my hometown, Hawkinsville, Georgia, but he is known throughout the nation for his depictions of rural homes and scenes. Many of his works can be found in the White House. This particular painting is Jake's Gap. I think that the painting is a representation of what some southern plantations and farm lands have become since the Civil War. Everything is worn down and worn out. Fields have grown over. Barns and houses have been deserted. The land seems isolated and lonely, which is exactly how many regions in the South felt after the devastation of the War. Many people admire Brown's works because of their beauty and uniqueness. But I believe that his art is subtly reminding us and portraying our ravaged southland as it has been since the late 1800's.

Southern Representation Artifact: Picture

I chose this image as an artifact representing the south. I found this interesting as it was a great satirical interpretation of the stereotypes related to the south.

It was present in an article named "Reimagining the south". It also has a great article about this guy who is southern but his family was anti confederate.

The image is a satirical representation of all the common stereotypes of the south. Start with the old man for instance. Dressed in confederate clothing, he is carrying a gun which implies that all he cares about is war. The lady on the other hand is dressed in the farmer's outfit through which one feels that all the women in the south are either working in farms or are farmer's wives. The book she has in her hand says "Geneology of 'Muh" Family". Here the artist is making fun of the accent and also showing that lineage is all that the southerners care about. The big Gone with the wind house with the fields and trees in the background doesn't fail to gain the attention of the viewer as well. It gives these ideas about big homes in the middle of farms where all the southerners live.

I feel that even though some of the stuff is accurate in terms of stereotypes, it is not true at the same time. This is because the artist has taken the negative stereotypes from all over the south and has thrown them together in one single picture, which makes the viewer believe that the entire south is the same.

The Southern Artifact: Alexis Noel

The Artifact: "O Brother Where Art Thou" Trailer

This artifact is a trailer for the 2000 film "O Brother Where Art Thou", starring George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson. The movie follows the plot line of Homer's "The Odyssey" set in the deep south of Mississippi, where a man breaks out of jail with his companions to win back his wife who is set out to marry another possible suitor. The movie is set during the 1930's and is filled with southern interpretations and stereotypes. For example, some stereotypes presented in the movie (which can be seen in the trailer) are: thick "grammatically-incorrect" accents, bluegrass music, mud-stained blue-jean overalls, large fields of tobacco, a multitude of prisoners, racism, religious extremists (The KKK) and lynching. All of these examples are presenting the south as unstable, underdeveloped and unintelligent, filled with prisoners and farmers.
While this movie is extremely entertaining to the general audience, I feel as though this is presenting a generalized representation of "the entire south". While this may have been an accurate representation of a part of the south at a certain point in time, it is not to say that all southerners were either farmers or prisoners. I am sure that there were a multitude of southern towns during the 1930's filled with merchants and businessmen, producing a bustling city life.